Just Like Me
by Magus732
Summary: When Stork asks to get some help learning how to fight, Aerrow and Piper step up to the plate... but they soon find out; training a Merb can be pretty hard! Chapter 11's up... End of Story!
1. Chapter 1

One hopelessly boring day on the _Condor_, Stork, at his usual place at the helm, allowed his mind to wander. He began to daydream about joining the others in combat, not really sure he knew how or why he should be with them. The others thought he stayed on the _Condor_ because he was overprotective of it, but in reality, it was because he felt too weak to help them in battle. So, as his imagination ran wild, the ship drifted closer and closer to a collision with a passing air truck. The honking of the air truck's horn brought him back to reality. The drops of sweat on his face as he steered clear of the truck dripped softly onto the deck. He sighed in relief and returned to his daydream. As he did, another sound brought him back again; this time, it was the bridge doors opening.

"Stork, what happened? We hit some turbulence?" Aerrow asked as he stepped closer, eyeing the pilot's empty gaze.

"No... nearly hit an air truck... nothing to worry about..." He said nervously, not wanting to admit he'd been distracted.

"Ya know, Stork, we've been having a few too many close calls lately... any ideas about how we can change that?" The redhead stepped a bit closer, and Stork backed up just as much.

"I-I hadn't really noticed... maybe it's your imagination..." He said defensively. Aerrow's eyebrow shot up.

"You mean, you're not convinced it's some ridiculous plot against us by someone trying to ensure that our demise is long and painful?" The Sky Knight's smirk made the Merb cringe a little; he knew he'd been had. He groaned softly, not really wanting to talk about it. Knowing Aerrow, however, he knew he wouldn't just let it go.

"Oh, it's nothing, really... I just wish I could do more in battle, that's all..." The pilot sighed softly, wishing he could fight the way Aerrow or Piper could. The redhead walked up and squeezed his shoulder.

"Stork, if you felt that way, why didn't you say something? I'm sure Piper and I can whip you into fighting form in no time..." As the others joined them, and saw the leader and pilot engaged in what seemed to be a private conversation, Piper's eyebrow shot up.

"Everything okay, guys?" Her voice was full of concern. Aerrow nodded softly.

"Stork's convinced he's no good in a fight... how about giving us a demonstration of your technique?" They all nodded. Stork's eye twitched nervously.

"I-I don't know... I've never actually fought anyone with my hands..." The Merb was clearly feeling self-conscious, so Piper spoke up before he started to lose it.

"It's okay, Stork... don't be nervous... here, why don't we start off with just Aerrow and I watching? Would that help?" Aerrow nodded softly in agreement.

"Hey, how come the rest of us can't watch? I bet he'll kick both your butts..." Finn whined. Junko merely shrugged.

"Well, I wouldn't want to make anybody mad... c'mon, Finn... let's get something started for lunch... I skipped breakfast..." They both walked off the bridge, leaving only Radarr to vacate. The loyal little creature jumped up on Aerrow's shoulder and whimpered sadly.

"It's okay, Radarr... I don't think Stork will be too upset if you stay and watch..."

"Actually, Aerrow, when I said just you and I, that's what I meant..." Piper said matter-of-factly.

"Oh... sorry, Radarr... maybe you can help Junko get that lunch ready... you _do_ know what I like to eat..." The fuzzball nodded vigorously, chirped his agreement, and leapt off onto the floor, the door closing softly behind him.

"I-I still don't think I can do this, Piper..." Stork started to head back to the helm. Aerrow came up behind him.

"Stork, neither of us are gonna laugh at you... we just wanna help..."

"Yeah... we all had to start somewhere..." Piper said helpfully. The Merb simply shook his head.

"But I don't _know_ any combat moves!" He started to hyperventilate. Both Aerrow and Piper ran over and calmed him down.

"It's okay, Stork... really... we'll be more than happy to teach you..." Piper softly rubbed his back, and Aerrow nodded his agreement.

"Don't worry, buddy... we'll start off slow for you, and let you get used to it before we teach you anything hardcore..." Aerrow couldn't have imagined how hard teaching a Merb to fight could be...


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, I'm not doing this..." Stork droned softly. He had been forced to put on a special uniform that had a little more room to maneuver than his normal one. For some reason, he hated the thing.

"Why not, Stork? Everybody's supposed to train in these things..." Aerrow pointed to the sweat suits he and Piper were wearing. The Merb simply rolled his eyes.

"That only means you enjoy looking at each other as you sweat... no thank you, I'm not interested..."

"Stork, do you want to learn how to fight or not?" Piper chimed in, annoyed. He had tried to find an excuse to not do everything they normally did before they practiced. They were beginning to think he was only pulling their legs when he said he wanted to learn from them.

"Yeah... I just don't wanna die doing it..." He sighed softly, and grabbed the sweat suit, mumbling angrily to himself as he walked over to change in a side room. When he returned a few moments later, he had donned the dark green track suit they'd picked out for him; it had little black skulls and crossbones on it. He had to admit; the suit... suited him.

"Okay... now, we need to stretch out your muscles so you don't pull anything... let's start with something simple..." Piper stuck out one foot and bent down to touch her toes.

"Now, you try..." She not-so-eagerly waited for him to protest, but instead, he complied, merely mumbling to himself as he did when he put on the sweat suit. As he stood back up, he looked over to see Aerrow just standing there, watching the 2 of them stretch.

"Aren't you going to stretch too, Aerrow?" Stork asked hesitantly, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I already did; so did Piper... she's only doing it again to help you out... I'm _not_ doing it again because, well..." He stopped, trying to look for the right words. Thankfully, Piper stepped in to finish his thought.

"Because I'm more flexible than he is, and stretching too much can make you sore... so, we'll keep going slowly until you're ready, 'kay?" She smiled as he nodded softly, despite the grimace that appeared on his face when she told him about stretching too much. She then went through her normal pre-training stretching routine, and after about 15 minutes of this, Stork finally got through it all, managing to hold back a sigh of frustration when it was finally over.

"Okay, now that the stretching is out of the way, let's try a few simple exercises to get you started..." She nodded to Aerrow, who walked up beside Stork to practice with Piper.

...

After about 2 hours of instruction, the Merb managed to learn a few basic blocking and striking techniques, which he admitted "could be useful". Now, Piper and Aerrow decided, it was time to take a break. Stork jumped at the chance to sit and relax, having used more energy in those 2 hours than he normally used flying the ship for the whole day. He sighed as Piper walked over with a glass of water in each hand. He nearly ripped her hand off as he reached for one, but as he gulped it down quickly, she simply smiled and waited for him to finish; he hadn't learn a whole heck of a lot, but he was on his way, and at least he _was_ trying now. They knew he had some knowledge of how to fight, but didn't realize how limited it was until today.

Having built a foundation for him, Aerrow took over and taught him a few more strikes, including a punch-kick combo that ended with a bruised shoulder. The Merb nervously fawned over the injured redhead, but Piper looked him over, told him he was fine, and then continued while Aerrow rested. Since Piper was a bit faster than Aerrow in close quarters, Stork had to work harder to get near enough for her to have to block. He did his best, but couldn't get through, no matter how much he tried. One really hard swing nearly knocked him off balance, and Piper took the chance so she could take him off his feet, letting him land back-first to soft the blow. He hissed a bit in frustration, but got back up rather quickly, and continued trying to get hits through.

Now, Piper went on the attack, slowly at first, and then faster and faster until he could barely keep up. He _was_ a quick study, though, because when Piper missed with an uppercut, Stork slammed his fist into her chest, knocking her back a foot or two. Piper yelped a bit, not expecting him to be quick enough to take advantage like that. She waved her hand, signaling for him to stop, and he lowered his hands slowly, expecting her to continue once he lowered his guard. She panted lightly, not expecting him to learn so quickly.

"Okay... that's enough for now... we'll pick this up tomorrow, okay? Now, let's hit the showers... I'm getting a bit sticky, here..." She smiled a bit, and Stork nodded. Aerrow had already gone to shower, so they went to join him. Stork blushed a bit at the thought of Piper naked; he had never showered in the same place as anyone else, because he had his own bathroom. Being the insecure, paranoid little Merb that he was, he preferred it that way. But right then, he didn't even remember that he didn't normally shower with everyone else, since they all (except him, of course) used a communal facility to get clean. What did finally remind him was Piper clearing her throat before she went in.

"Not that I mind you using the bathroom with the rest of us, but... don't you have your own bathroom you like to use?" She tried hard not to hurt his feelings with her choice of words. Thankfully, as out of it as he was, he didn't mind her wording at all.

"Y-yeah, yeah... so... see ya later..." He quickly ran off toward his room, leaving Piper to guess what had gotten into him. She hadn't seen his blush, and he was thankfully for that. As the door closed behind him, his blush deepened.

"What was I _thinking_? I can't shower with _Piper_! I'd... I'd, I'd... I'd be too nervous, and I'd..." He stuttered, trying to gather his thoughts as his heart pounded in his chest. His face was dark green, all the blood rushing to his cheeks, and he groaned softly as he went into his bathroom, prepping for a relaxing swamp bath...

Author's Note: Got the idea for a swamp bath from "Stratosphere"...

And them wearing sweat suits while they train is something I just kinda made up... don't really know if they door not...


	3. Chapter 3

After a few more days of simple training, Aerrow and Piper were satisfied that Stork had the minimum training he needed to defend himself. However, one night, as Piper wandered the ship with insomnia, she heard Stork grunting and panting, and she decided to investigate.

When she peeked onto the bridge, she saw him practicing the moves he'd learned, except he seemed determined to hit some invisible target. She smiled slightly, wondering why he was so focused. When he slipped and fell trying to perform a leg sweep, she suppressed a giggle. He cursed softly as he got back up, dusting himself off.

"Oh... I'll never be as good as them... why do I even bother? I should just stop pretending and get back to being me, before I end up looking stupid..." He walked back over to the helm, shoulders slumped in defeat. That's when she walked in.

"Hey, Stork..." She said softly, trying not to sound too happy at 1:30 in the morning. The pilot stared at her as she walked over and sat at the meeting table. His eyebrow shot up as he turned to stay with her.

"You're up awfully late, Piper..." He said suspiciously, clearly concerned. His eye twitched slightly, and then he shook his head and turned back to the helm. Piper frowned slightly upon seeing this.

"Stork-" She began. The Merb cut her off.

"I know you were watching, Piper... otherwise, you wouldn't be trying to make me feel better..." He said sadly. She shook her head.

"That's not true... well, okay, I _was_ watching you, but... I just wanted to see how you were doing..." She walked over to him, and he pulled away as she tried to lay her hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to be so nice to me, Piper... I don't deserve it..."

"What in the Atmos makes you think that? You think we only care about you because you can fly the ship?" Her voice softened with concern.

"Well, don't you?" The pilot turned to look at her as he spoke.

"I can't speak for the rest of the guys... but _I_ don't care whether you can or can't fight or fly... that's not what's important to me..." She tried to comfort him, but he seemed so... apart.

"I guess I just feel... worthless sometimes..." His eyes started to tear up. She walked over and rubbed his back.

"Hey... don't talk like that... I don't think you're worthless... so, you're not as good a fighter as Aerrow, and maybe you can't shoot as well as Finn... nobody _I_ know is as strong as Junko... we all have something different to bring to the table, Stork, and for you, that's being the best pilot in the Atmos..." She smiled and pulled him into a hug. At first, he tried to squirm free, but after a few moments, he hugged back, tired of fighting. She felt his body tense up as they got closer. The blush on his face was almost glowing.

"Stork, are you okay?" She saw the blush, and he turned away, trying to hide it.

"Yeah... I-I'm just... n-not good at being close t-to beautiful girls..." He let out a soft "eep" after saying that, and his blush deepened. Piper giggled softly and drew closer.

"You... you really think I'm beautiful, Stork?" Her eyes softened as she blushed along with him.

"W-well... yeah, I-I do..." He continued to stutter nervously. For some reason, she didn't care. He was convinced she'd find it a mood breaker.

"That's... that's really sweet of you, Stork..." Her blush deepened to match his. He gulped nervously and wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead. She smiled through her nervous laugh, and they both felt fairly awkward as Aerrow joined them.

"Hey, guys... guess you couldn't sleep either, huh?" The redhead never saw the blush on their faces.

Author's Note: Sorry about this chapter being so... angsty... I felt like I don't write enough balance into my stories... so, next one will be funnier, I promise...


	4. Chapter 4

After seeing Stork fighting so hard to stay in shape, Piper decided she'd convince Aerrow to keep his training going, as well as to help her teach him a few other things.

"Okay, Stork... this'll be a breeze..." Aerrow said encouragingly. The Merb looked at him strangely.

"Aerrow, what does marksmanship have to do with melee combat?" Piper asks curiously. She hadn't counted on Aerrow taking her so... literally.

"Well, being flexible in combat is always a good thing... trust me, Stork, you'll be fine..." He turned back to the pilot, who nervously held a blaster in his shaking hands.

"I-I don't think I can do this, Aerrow..." His eyes were wide as saucers as Piper came over and helped steady his hands.

"It's okay, Stork... just point and shoot... we'll get to more advanced stuff after you learn the basics..." She held onto the stock of the long weapon, and the Merb's hands shook a little less. He nervously pulled the trigger, and blasted a hole right through Finn's sandwich. The blonde's mouth agape, he stared in disbelief at the pilot.

"Dude, you just shot my lunch!" He whined angrily.

"Sorry, Finn!" Aerrow yelled to the sharpshooter. It didn't seem to help.

"Look, if you're gonna teach him how to shoot, maybe you should ask an expert..." Finn said, in a strangely helpful tone. He walked over and moved the nervous Merb's hands along the blaster, positioned for a better grip.

"Here... this'll help you get better aim on this thing... now, let's try blasting something that _isn't_ food..." He smiled slyly. Stork gulped, but nodded. He raised the gun up a bit, and fired at an improvised target Aerrow had set up to practice with. His aim was off a bit, but it was getting better already. This time, he hit the edge of the target, grazing it slightly.

"Better, dude... now, move it a bit to the left..." The blonde pointed to the target in emphasis. Stork complied, and moved the blaster's aim to the left. This time, it hit the outer section dead on.

"Great, dude! See, you're getting it!" He softly struck his shoulder in congratulations. The Merb cringed a little, but smiled slightly. "_So far, so good..._" Piper thought to herself, as she watched the 2.

"Hey, about we take a break? All this teaching is making me hungry..." The sharpshooter shot his patented "chica-cha" finger pistols, and Stork looked down at the deck.

"You'd still have lunch if I hadn't shot it..." Piper walked up and rubbed his back softly.

"Hey, you're still learning, Stork... don't be so hard on yourself... after lunch, we'll get a few crystal-working tips down, okay?" The pilot nodded softly, not sure he really wanted to. Of course, knowing his friends, he didn't have much choice.

_Roughly an hour later..._

"What was _that_!?" Aerrow said, as he got up from his chair at the meeting table.

"Dunno... sounded like it came from Piper's lab..." Junko said, scratching his head softly. The redhead cringed a bit, not sure he wanted to find out what happened. But, as the 3 boys and Radarr ran to check on the 2 in the lab, they came upon a scene that didn't look too promising; Piper's door was smashed outward, halfway off its hinges. Stork sat against the wall in the hallway, covered in black soot.

"Stork, what happened?" Aerrow helped the blackened Merb to his feet. He coughed a bit, a puff of smoke escaping from his mouth.

"We... _I_ had a little accident..." Piper softly walked out of her room, also covered in soot from head to toe. She shook her head after coughing to clear her throat.

"Stork..." She began, and the pilot started walking away slowly, as they both began picking up the pace, Stork soon running away screaming as Piper chased him down the hallway.

"That was my last eruption crystal! How could you let those 2 touch!? I specifically told you they should _never_ touch!" She ranted as they disappeared down the hallway, turning the corner and leaving their sight. The boys ran after them, hoping they didn't find a dead Merb. Around the corner, they found Stork huddled in fear, boxed in as Piper gave him an earful. Aerrow ran over and got between them.

"Piper, he's still learning, remember!? Besides, it's nothing we can't fix..." He looked over the 2 of them with a slight smile.

"Aerrow, I can't make a crystal out of nothing-"

"I think you're missing the point, Piper... you could've been killed!" Finn stepped in. Junko stood, waiting to see what would happen; he didn't know enough about crystals to be of any real help, so he stayed out of it. Radarr chirped excitedly while jumping up and down, trying to help Aerrow get his point across. Finally, a loud scream brought their arguments to a halt.

"I can't take it anymore! The yelling, the being covered in soot! I need a bath! I need my Happy Place!" The Merb cried loudly, finally breaking down. Piper rushed over, realizing she _had_ missed the point.

"Stork, it's okay... I'm sorry..." She hugged him softly, trying not to make it any worse.

"C'mon, let's go get your Trance Helmet." She helped him to his feet, and he sniffled a little, tears still streaming down his face.

"I just want to pilot my precious _Condor_..." He said sadly, and walked back toward the bridge, still sniffling as he wiped tears out of his eyes.

"Stork, wait-" Piper began.

"Hold it, Piper... maybe you should let him cool off first..." Junko said helpfully. Radarr nodded.

"I don't care _when_ you do it, Piper, but I think you need to talk to him about it... tell him you still want to help him learn..." Aerrow slowly walked toward the hangar bay, not really sure what else he could do. So, as the guys left Piper alone with her thoughts, she thought about why she was so upset.

"Nice one, Piper... you've really done it this time..." She scolded herself out loud.

"Don't beat yourself up too badly, Piper..." A voice said from nearby.

"Stork? You... you're not mad at me for overreacting?" She frowned a bit and looked down at the floor sadly. The Merb walked over slowly, and tilted her head up.

"Look, I... I didn't mean to blow up your lab... maybe... maybe we can fix it... together..." He said nervously. She blinked a bit.

"You mean, you still want to learn?" She was surprised.

"Yeah, well... it's not like you sabotaged the crystals to blow up on purpose... right?" His eye twitched. Piper giggled.

"Nope... I would never do that to you..." She took his hand into her, and they walked together back into the destroyed lab.

_Several hours, buckets of paint, and lots of noise later..._

"She still needs a bit of work, but it's a lot closer to being back to normal..." Stork said proudly. Piper couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks for helping me, Stork..." She hugged him softly. He struggled at first, like he always did, but eventually he slumped into her hug, finally giving in.

"Guys, how's it coming? Aerrow said as he walked into the still badly mangled lab.

"It's... coming..." Piper said hesitantly. The place still looked terrible, but with Stork's help, she now had... a cabinet. She giggled a bit as she looked at it; several times, Stork had decided he needed to add safety features to it. Of course, they made it almost useless to store things in, since the block of wringle roach repellent took up a large portion of the inside. It had about a hundred locks on it ("You always need a backup lock... besides, you can never have too many..."), but, she had to admit; at least it matched the wall paint. The mindworm-repelling wall paint...


	5. Chapter 5

_Stork's Log_

Okay, so I blew up Piper's lab yesterday. I said I was sorry a thousand times, but I don't think she'll really forgive me until we're finished putting it back together. I've made some progress on the flooring, but the place still looks like crap...

Aerrow says I'm getting better at Sky-Fu. I hope that means I can eventually stop wearing that itchy sweat suit. The man acts like I should love that thing... sometimes, I don't understand humans...

Finn has said, many times, that I need more marksmanship practice, and that he has the perfect place to do it. Says he'll take me there tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to that. Last time we went someplace, just the two of us, we ended up on a pirate ship, doing their disgusting laundry...

Haven't seen much of Junko or Radarr lately... it's like they're hiding somewhere... Piper says they've been busy working on something, but I have my _own_ theories...

What else? Oh, I've ordered a new shipment of my special shampoo... ran out this morning... someone keeps using it without asking me... gonna need to change my locks... again...

Author's Note: Sorry for the long time since I've updated... and for the short chapter... lack of updates makes it hard to write something people want to read...

This is the end of week one of Stork's Training... stay tuned for next week, starting in Chapter 6...


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, Stork... this'll be easy, trust me..." Aerrow said confidently. The Merb merely glared at him.

"Aerrow, that's what you said about blaster training, and look how that turned out..." Stork stared at the punching bag in front of him. He had been told that it was normal to use both other people and this... thing... to practice combat moves. He wasn't sure why he needed to use both, but Aerrow insisted he at least try it.

"C'mon, Stork... what's the worst that can happen, really?" Piper said helpfully. The pilot grimaced.

"Everything, when you talk like that..." He turned back to the punching bag, and gave it a soft whack with his gloved hand. At first, he winced a bit, expecting a retaliatory punch, but when he realized it really _wasn't_ going to hit back, he smiled a little and began resuming his training. He happily practiced on the bag, confident it wouldn't hurt him on purpose.

...

Aerrow and Piper had been dreading this part of his training since they began, but he insisted he needed it, so they agreed to help.

"Okay, Stork... I'm not sure what this has to do with combat, but..." Aerrow let he voice trail off slightly, not really wanting to finish his thought.

"You never know what skills you might need to survive out there... what if you got trapped in a gourmet restaurant, and-"

"Stork, how likely is that gonna happen, really?" Piper placed her hands on her hips. The pilot smiled sheepishly and turned back to the stove in front of him. They'd agreed to help teach him how to cook, but only because he refused to do anything else that day until they did. Seeing how little their arguing with him accomplished, they relented and followed him into the kitchen.

"Okay, now...what's the first thing you wanna do before you start?" Piper queried. The Merb scratched his head then raised his finger in triumph.

"Grab your fire-retardant apron and mitts!" He zipped over to the supply closet nearby, opening the door with a soft "whoosh". He left both Piper and Aerrow to sigh loudly, softly shaking their heads as he put them on. They hadn't anticipated _that_ response.

"Okay, after that..."

"Um, let's see... light the stove?" Stork asked hesitantly. Piper smiled softly.

"Good! Start 'er up, Stork..." They watched as he slowly reached for the igniter switch, very carefully turning the knob until the coils began to glow. Because of some personal vendetta against the grill, Stork refused to use anything but the electric stove they kept as a backup. He cautiously placed the pan over the front burner, and listened as the butter used to grease it sizzled a bit. He winced a little before he realized what it was.

"Okay, now, what do we need for this recipe?" Piper thought out loud as she searched the pages of her cookbook. Finding her answer, she slammed the book on the counter loudly, scaring Stork with the noise.

"Sorry..." She smiled nervously, and the Merb chose to ignore it.

"Let's see here... mm-hmm, uh-huh... yep, we don't have any of this..." He scowled a bit, looking back to Piper.

"You chose a recipe we can't possible make..." His eye twitched nervously.

"Stork, every chef knows you sometimes have to improvise..." Aerrow said confidently. The Merb scowled at him, but nodded softly, searching through the cabinets for anything close to what the recipe wanted. After a few moments of searching, becoming more and more frantic as time went by, he zipped over and starting shaking Aerrow by the shoulders.

"There's no food in here!"

"Calm down, Stork, it can't be that bad..." The redhead calmly walked over and opened the cabinets. To his surprise, not one piece of food was left untouched. It was all gone. The Sky Knight closed his eyes as he growled.

"FINN!"

"What!? You don't gotta yell..." The sharpshooter came in holding a 3-layer sandwich. Piper promptly snatched it from him.

"Hey! That's my lunch!" The blonde whined annoyingly.

"And while _you're_ stuffing your face, _we_ have nothing to eat!" Piper yelled angrily. The others stared at Finn as he slumped his shoulders in defeat. Aerrow stepped toward Stork and nodded softly.

"Well, it looks like we're gonna have to go for a grocery run... this'll be a perfect time to get some field experience, Stork..." He oozed confidence as the pilot shook his head.

"Oh, no, I... I really don't think-"

"That's your problem, Stork... you think too much..." Finn added softly, not really wanting to make things harder on himself. The Merb glared at him, but Aerrow nodded in agreement.

"He _does_ have a point, buddy... you need practice, and where better to practice than in the real world?" The redhead nodded softly to Piper, who stepped up and slowly rubbed Stork's back in encouragement.

"Don't worry, Stork... we'll make sure nothing happens to you... besides, if all else fails, just run and we'll follow you..." She smiled at her own joke, trying to lighten the mood. The pilot smiled a little.

"Okay... but only if we land the ship first... I don't trust Finn to fly..." He glared at the sharpshooter, who was whistling nonchalantly at the table. He smiled sheepishly and stopped whistling, trying not to draw too much attention to himself.

"That's fine, Stork... we needed a few other things anyway..." Piper added after a moment of awkward silence. Aerrow nodded his agreement, and they all, Finn included, walked toward the hangar bay. Nobody knew just how much they had actually used up...


	7. Chapter 7

As the Storm Hawks wandered through the market of Terra Saharr, Stork's eyes nervously darted from person to person. He had been walking along with the others, desperate to keep pace with them. Aerrow and Piper shared a look as they watched him grow more and more nervous as they walked between the vendor's booths.

"Stork, it's okay, really... no one is gonna hurt you... not as long as we're here..." Piper reassured him, knowing it would make little difference.

"Oh, you say that now, but..." He let that idea hang in the air as he spotted something he wanted. He ran up to Aerrow, stuttering excitedly.

"Can I help you?" The redhead said nervously as the Merb clung to him.

"That... vendor over there... he's got a brand new MS-337!" He finally spoke coherently, nearly yelling as he did so.

"And?" Piper stepped in, not sure where he was going.

"The _Condor_ needs a few... upgrades... that we've never been able to afford... until now... we have to get it, our lives could be at stake without it!" He pleaded with the Sky Knight as Aerrow tried to break free from his strong grip. He groaned slightly once he'd done so.

"Stork, I dunno... it looks..." He took a look at what Stork had pointed at, and his eyes widened with excitement.

"Oh, yeah... it really _is_ a new MS-337!" The redhead locked eyes with the Merb, and they both ran up to Piper excitedly.

"We have to have one!" They said in unison. Piper raised an eyebrow.

"What's it even do, guys?" She hadn't the slightest clue what it was.

"It a scanner, purpose built for both detecting enemies and navigating in foul weather! I always intended to get an upgrade for the _Condor_. But, since we could never afford to buy a new scanner..." Stork droned loudly, not realizing how loud he was. A passing patron shushed him, and the still-excited Merb softened his voice. He smiled sheepishly as the patron huffed indignantly and continued on. Stork stared at him with one eyebrow raised as he walked by. Suddenly, a hooded figured jumped through the crowd, several Third Degree Burners on his tail.

"'ey, stop, thief!" They tried as best they could to catch him, but they weren't fast enough. Stork stuck his foot out and tripped the fleeing felon, who promptly got up and took a swipe at Stork with a previously hidden dagger. Stork backpedalled, keeping him at bay as best he could, desperately fighting off his attacker. Finally, he managed the wrest the weapon from him, and, pulling off his hood and pointing his finger in the person's face, he began ranting about how he could've been killed.

"Have you lost your mind!? You could've killed me! And what gives with the stealing!? I can't believe...!" He suddenly stopped midsentence. The others came over to see what was going on.

"Stork, what's the matter?" Piper said as she came up beside him. As she turned to look at Stork's hoodless attacker, she gasped softly.

"_He's_ a _she_... and she's a Merb..." He said almost under his breath.

Author's Note: Dun, dun, dun!

(clears throat) sorry... and it's a shorty, I know... but, if I tell you what happens now, it'll ruin the surprise...


	8. Chapter 8

As the Storm Hawks escorted their new prisoner to the _Condor_, Stork braved the Merbette's angry glares to barrage her with questions. Apparently, he hadn't seen his home terra in quite some time.

"Stop it! I'm not an encyclopedia!" She finally blurted out, callously staring at Stork, who looked as shocked as everyone else. He eyed her suspiciously.

"Are you _sure_ you aren't infected with mindworms?" His eye twitched uncontrollably.

"Uh, yes... I'm sure..." She said flatly. Her blue skin shone brightly in the sun as they made their way back to the ship.

"Aren't you at least going to ask me what my name is?" She looked uncaringly at Piper, who strode alongside as Junko carried her over his shoulder, both her wrists and ankles tied together. She'd tried to escape again, but Aerrow and Piper were too quick for her.

"Only if you'll actually tell us... otherwise, no, not really..." Her orange eyes shimmered a little as the sun peaked over their heads. The Merbette followed her eyes over to Aerrow, as the redhead chastised Finn's flirtatious stares. The blonde shrugged his shoulders and smiled sheepishly, not wanting to give up just yet. Radarr looked over Aerrow's shoulders, peeking over his shoulder blades cautiously. The young woman growled at him, which made him whimper and retreat into Aerrow's arms. The Sky Knight, jumping a little in surprise, dropped the little guy on his head. As the others crowded around to check on him, the Merbette kicked free, hopping away as fast as she could.

...

"Next time, if you actually _hurt_ him, it would take us longer to notice..." Stork said matter-of-factly, as the woman struggled in Junko's grasp. Now, she'd been gagged to keep her silent. She'd attracted some unwanted attention with her faux cries for help.

"Aerrow, you do realize she's only gonna keep tryin' to get away, right?" Finn said hesitantly, as if expecting a barrage of slaps. The redhead turned to look at him.

"Well, guys, he's got a point... maybe we should-"

"Keep going until we get back to my- I mean _our_- sanctuary..." Stork interrupted.

"Stork's right, Aerrow... it'll be easier to keep track of her once we get back to the _Condor_..." Piper agreed, nodding her head softly. Junko shifted his view to eye the young lady in his arms.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" The Wallop waited for her to try to kick him in the groin again, but she simply shook her head. She'd given up on trying to get away. At least for now...

"Guys, where the heck did we park!?" Finn whined loudly, trying to focus them back.

"Weird... this _is_ where we parked it..." Piper said after consulting her maps. Stork zipped over, nearly tearing the maps in half as he closed the gap between them. Piper yelped lightly in surprise.

"You mean, someone _stole the Condor_!?" He yelled, which lightly echoed in the clearing.

"No, wait... it's just buried under all this sand..." Junko gave the ship a good kick, and tons of sand was shrugged from the carrier's shoulders, landing around it roughly.

"Oh... phew..." Stork said, clearly relieved. He eyed the ship all over, then gave his thumbs-up of approval. As the door "whooshed" open, they climbed aboard, their supply trip complete.

...

"So, _now_ are you gonna tell us your name?" Aerrow said, eyeing their prisoner through their newly-crafted brig. The tiny cell only housed one person, but did the job; her bandaged feet were a testament to its sturdy construction.

"Well, I suppose so, human..." She hissed, not wanting to reveal any of her secrets.

"But only to him..." She pointed her long finger at the Merb pilot, who slowly turned to face her. A look of shear terror flooded his face.

"O...kay..." Piper said, shrugging her shoulders. "It looks like you'll be interrogating her, Stork."

"Me!? But I-" He began to protest, but a soft singing filled their ears, interrupting his decidedly paranoid rant.

"What is that?" Finn said softly, not wanting to miss a single note. Stork's ears perked up, and a ecstatic smile appeared on his face. He leaned lightly against the controls, his eyes glazing over in happiness.

"Stork, you alright?" Aerrow waved his hands in front of the Merb's face, breaking him out of his trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'll ask her, whatever..." His sentence broke down into an unintelligible mumble, and he walked closer to the young Merbette in the brig. She stopped singing as he came closer.

"That... that was beautiful... I've never heard it sung so well before..." He wrapped his four fingers around the bars nearest her face.

"You... you like my singing?" She asked shyly. Her cheeks darkened with a light blush, as did Stork's.

"Y-yeah... I do..." He smiled as she held out her hands, intertwining her fingers with his.

"It's been so long since anyone's complimented my singing... I-I've had to steal just to survive..." She pulled free, turning around as she looked away.

"Wait, I..." Stork began, but she shook her head.

"My name is Jabiru, and I'd like to tell you my story..."


	9. Chapter 9

As the Storm Hawks sat and listened to Jabiru's story, they couldn't help but feel sorry for her. After having been abandoned at birth by her parents, she was taken in by a Atmosian who'd seen her crying in an alley moments after being dropped off. Unable to simply leave the child there to die, the kind woman took her as her own, caring for her as her wealth allowed. The woman was a nomad, having no home and no real family, except the other performers in her group. She was a singer, a wandering minstrel who traveled from terra to terra bartering room and board in exchange for a performance of their acclaimed music.

One day, when she was still very young, Jabiru asked her mother why she was so different. The young woman, who Jabiru refused to name, simply told her she'd been adopted by humans shortly after birth; it was the truth, but only part of it. Being young, and not knowing any better, she accepted her mother's wisdom. Years later, she was finally told the truth.

After hearing her mother's story, she packed up what she owned, hitched a ride to Terra Merb, and tracked down her parents, not really expecting to find them. But when she came to the home where she was born, and she laid eyes on her birth mother, she knew. She just knew.

"Jabiru!?" She cried out as her daughter came closer. At first, there was a lot of awkward silence between them, accentuated by hugs and joyful sobs, but soon enough, they couldn't stop arguing.

"You are the most _ungrateful_ child I've ever met! You've obviously had a good life so far, why ruin it by coming home and tormenting us!?" Her father yelled angrily.

The Storm Hawks never heard the rest of that story.

"Guys, we've got trouble! Cyclonians, everywhere!" Stork yelled over the blaring alarms. Seeing how she no longer seemed to be a threat, Aerrow allowed her to be released. By the time she got free, and made her way to the end of the flight deck, the Cyclonians had starting flying off. She yelled to them, they yelled back, and the Talon's squadron leader got close enough for her to jump aboard. And as she flew off, the Storm Hawks couldn't help feeling betrayed. The hardest hit, however, was Stork.

"Hey, buddy... how you doin'? Finn asked hesitantly, eyeing the weeping Merb. He'd stayed in his room for nearly a week, refusing to come out. When he finally did, he continued his duties, but they noticed a change; he cried a lot. It alternated from loud, piecing screams of sadness, to quiet sobbing they could only see.

"Okay, I guess..." He sighed sadly, his eyes still red from all the crying. He'd thought he'd found someone he could befriend; someone who truly understood him.

One day, feeling so horribly for the poor, heartbroken pilot, Piper couldn't stand it anymore, and decided to see what she could do to help. She had no idea how much she'd end up doing, and how much better they'd both feel for doing it...

Author's Note: Another shorty... and a cliffhanger, I know...

You'll thank me... (dodges arrows launched from angry StorkxPiper fans)


	10. Chapter 10

Stork sat idly in his room, thinking over the last few days in his head. He hung his head as he pictured _her_, smiling softly as he dreamed to see her again. Suddenly, a knock at his door. Who could be so brazen as to disturb his peaceful "me" time? Maybe it was her...

No. He had to stop thinking that way. She could never feel the same way about him... could she? I mean, they were just so different... and he knew she liked another...

Oh, how he hated him for that... the man who took his love away from him... the way she melted whenever he was near... how much he wished she'd do that for him...

"She could never love me..." He finally said, tears welling up in his eyes. The knock came again, a little louder this time.

"Go away!" He yelled loudly, trying to keep from crying until whoever it was left. The last thing he needed was for the others to think he needed them to do something.

Only she could help him now... oh, how he longed for her touch... to inhale her sweet scent...

He grew excited as his imagination ran wild; thoughts of an unthinkable love filled his head. He imagined how their children would look, how they'd settle into a nice little house to raise their family. He watched in his mind as they grew old together, they kids long gone, until it was just the 2 of them once more...

That damned knocking! It won't stop! He angrily stomped over to the door, pushed the button to open it, and he readied his speech about privacy, when he saw... _her_.

She smiled nervously, aware that she'd disturbed him. He didn't mind at all. In fact, he welcomed it. He would never admit it, but as he looked up and down her lithe frame, his arousal slipped free from his control. Oh, no... she's noticed! She's blushing!

"_What do I do now!? This is humiliating!" _He thought as her cheeks grew darker. He felt his own cheeks heat up, and he turned around to hide his... well, you know.

"Stork, can I come in?" She stepped a little closer, hoping she wouldn't be refused. But he was in no condition to entertain guests... not like this...

"Well, actually..." Before he could finish, she pushed past him, brushing up against his erection. He groaned a bit; a sound that was barely audible. Somehow, she noticed. She drew even closer to him, gently stroking his cheek. Wait, is she...?

He received a soft kiss as a reply. Her lips caressed his as she pulled him even closer, closing the door behind them as she pulled him back into his room.

"Stork, don't be afraid... you know we both _need_ this..." She softly cooed in his ear, before resuming their kiss. She pushed him further into the room, wrapping her arms around his neck as they came closer. He hesitated at first, but he slowly warmed up to her, and before he knew what was going on, their tongues were wrapped together in his mouth.

He moaned in pleasure as she pulled off his shirt, rubbing her soft hands across his cold chest. She kissed down to his hips, removing one belt after another with a soft "click", until his erection slid free of its cloth prison. He shuddered in delight as her tongue danced across his length, leaving a slick trail of saliva behind as she parted her lips and took him in. He let go of his fears as her hot mouth surrounded him, and he bucked his hips in time with her neck as she bobbed up and down. He moaned louder as she pulled free, sliding his pants down around his ankles. She pulled off her own shirt, her perfectly round breasts bouncing free as she did.

"_Does she not wear any underwear?"_ He thought. She slowly, torturously pulled down her pants, which made him whimper a bit in anticipation. She slowly beckoned him with a flirtatious wave forward, and he dumbly followed her to his bed, where he quickly mounted her and began thrusting as hard as his scrawny frame would allow. She panted with his thrusts, his member easily sliding into her as he pounded away. After what seemed like an eternity, they both neared their orgasms. With one final thrust, her walls clamped down around him as she screamed his name, which, of course, brought him to his own orgasm, and as he panted in exhaustion, he laid down on top of her, letting the warmth of her breath on his neck be the last thing he felt before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Just before he dozed off, however, he heard a knock... soft at first, but soon louder and louder, until...

"Hey, Stork! You're 20 minutes late for breakfast! Hurry up or you won't get any!" Finn called through the door. He shot up, looking around. Had it all been a dream?

"It's okay, Stork... just give me a few more minutes..." Came a soft voice from beside him. He smiled happily.

He must have had one _hell_ of a dream...


	11. Chapter 11

As Stork walked onto the bridge, whistling softly to himself, he saw Finn and Aerrow staring at him. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What? Is my fly undone?" He asked hesitantly. Aerrow was the first to say something.

"No, no... it's not that... we just wanted to let you know we're planning a big recon mission... when Piper gets up, she'll help us decide who's all going..." He answered innocently. The Merb eyed him with suspicion, but said nothing as he made his way over to the controls. The 2 Hawks shared a look of concern as Piper came into the room.

"Good morning, everyone." She said cheerfully. Aerrow's eyes narrowed a bit as he saw Stork smile and blush a bit.

"Good morning, Piper." Junko cheerfully replied. Apparently, he had no idea what was going on.

"Hey, Piper, can we talk to you for a minute?" The redhead behind her queried. She turned to face him and saw the look in Aerrow's and Finn's eyes. She rolled her eyes but followed them into the hallway. As the door closed behind them, Aerrow began the "interrogation."

"Piper, what were you thinking, getting involved with Stork? You should know better!" His eyes betrayed him, showing the jealousy he wouldn't admit. Piper blinked a bit in confusion.

"Um, ok, first; it's none of your business; second, if you felt that way about me, you should have said or done something by now; and third, I happen to _like_ Stork that way. What's wrong with that?" She answered in her signature know-it-all way. Neither boy could believe she had _any_ interest in the Merb.

"Piper, he's not even human! Won't that be a little weird?" Aerrow continued, unwilling to let this go.

"C'mon, dude. Give her a break. I bet they have a lot in common." Finn said, trying to be supportive.

"Thank you, Finn." She said as she turned to face the blond, who was smiling suggestively.

"Yeah, you both like sex, apparently..." He suddenly blurted out, both boys chuckling after he said this. Piper's eyes flared in anger.

"I can't believe you 2! First, you tell me to get a life outside my lab, then you make fun of me because of who I chose to spend time with! I didn't ask you to lecture me about the ethics of inter-squadron dating, Mr. Savior-of-Vapos!" She glared angrily at Finn, who shrunk back a little. She promptly turned to the Sky Knight next.

"And of all the people I've ever known, I would've expected _you_ to be the most supportive! You know how lonely Stork is here, but when he finally finds someone he likes, you suddenly want to take that away from him?" The redhead lowered his head in shame.

_Meanwhile..._

"So, you and Piper have fun last night, Stork?" Junko's abrupt question took the pilot by surprise. His face darkened considerably and he nervously turned to answer him.

"Y-yeah... we h-had 'fun'..." He stuttered. For some reason, Junko didn't seem to be judging him.

"Yeah, it's hard sometimes, isn't it?" He said cryptically.

"What is?"

"Being away from others of your kind... you get kinda lonely, all by yourself... I don't know how the other guys feel, but I'm just glad you found somebody..." He said in his friendly, supportive tone. Stork was taken aback. He'd never thought Junko could get lonely away from Wallop. _"I guess it makes sense, now that I think about it..."_ He thought to himself. As the door swished open, they both turned to look as Piper yelled back into the hallway.

"You should both be ashamed of yourselves, being so judgmental! We'll talk more about this later!" As the door closed, she turned to face her other 2 teammates.

"Junko, could you give Stork and I a minute alone, please?" She asked sweetly, trying not to let the other 2's actions cloud her thoughts.

"Sure, Piper... oh, and..." He pulled her into a hug, one that was uncharacteristically soft.

"I hope you guys stay happy together..." He walked out, leaving both of them puzzled. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Piper turned to face to skittish Merb next to her. He backed up a little bit, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay, Stork... last night _wasn't_ a mistake. I _want_ to be with you...." She cooed, stroking his cheek softly. He shuddered under her warm touch, letting out a moaning sigh as she pulled her hand away.

"P-Piper, I-I... d-don't think th-this is s-such a g-good idea... m-maybe we _sh-should_ stop..." His stutter returned in full swing, but Piper didn't pull away. In fact, she came closer.

"Stork, is that what you _really_ want?" She asked as she pulled back just a little, staring longingly into his eyes. He shook his head, suddenly unable to speak.

"I didn't think so..." She pulled herself into his lap and kissed his cheek softly. His blush darkened even more, and he moaned a bit as she moved to kiss his neck.

"P-Piper, n-not here..." He pleaded. To his relieve, she pulled away. Her devilish smile meant doom for the pilot later, but he didn't mind. In fact, that doom he welcomed with open arms.

"Stork, I love you... and I know you love me, too... there's no need to hide it just because the others don't understand..." She put one finger under his lowered chin and raised his head up to see the smile that spread across his face.

"Actually, Junko made it clear he's happy we're together..." She blinked a bit, but a smile of her own appeared.

"Really? I'd glad..."

"Me, too..."

"Stork?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not stuttering anymore..." The Merb simply smiled, took the navigator in his arms, and carried her to his room. Just before entering it, he finally whispered;

"I know... I'm not afraid anymore..."

The End

Author's Note: Sorry if the end was anticlimactic... let me know if I should make a sequel... or _shouldn't_... let me know _something_, please!


End file.
